I was born in yankee territory, so as I was growing up, it was a natural thing to call a can of carbonated beverage “pop.” But when I joined the Marines, I came into contact with quite a few non-yankees. (Some folks call them “southerners,” but some folks don’t like that term, so I’ll just call ’em “non-yankees.”) All of a sudden, that can of carbonated beverage became known as “soda.” After considering the matter, I decided that “soda” was a much better word, so from that day, I buy soda at the store and consider pop a term for an old man. That’s all well and good until my mother comes to visit. She’s still a yankee. When she comes for a visit, the great beverage debate continues.
